Breadcrumb trail

Solanum nigrum (Scientific name)

General Poisoning Notes:

Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) is a naturalized herb found scattered across southern Canada in waste places. This plant can be easily confused with eastern black nightshade, a native herb, which is more commonly found in its range in eastern Canada (see taxonomy and distributions in Ogg et al. 1981, Bassett and Munro 1985). Black nightshade contains toxic glycoalkaloids in the plant. The highest concentration is in the green immature berries. All kinds of animals can be poisoned after ingesting nightshade including cattle, sheep, poultry, and swine. Children have been poisoned and have died after ingesting unripe berries. The ripe berries cause reduced symptoms of mild abdominal pains, vomiting, and diarrhea (Cooper and Johnson 1984, Lampe and McCann 1985). Some Canadian garden catalogs sell seed for garden huckleberry (Solanum melanocerasum All.; also previously known as Solanum nigrum L. var. guineense L.). This plant has edible black fruits that can be cooked for use in pies, jams, and preserves. The plant may persist from seed for more than a year in gardens in warmer parts of Canada. There is no evidence that the ripe fruits are toxic. Other species of nightshade occur in Canada, and some may contain small amounts of toxins. Eastern black nightshade (Solanum ptycanthum Dun ex DC.) may contain small amounts of toxin in the green berries. Berries of hairy nightshade (Solanum sarrachoides Sendt.) have been tested as a teratogen in hamsters but the results were not statistically significant (Keeler et al .1990).

Image or Illustration

Notes on Poisonous Plant Parts:

All parts of the plant contain alkaloids, especially the green immature berries. The concentration increases in the leaves until plant maturity. The ripe black berries contain little alkaloidal content and can sometimes be eaten with no harmful effects (Cooper and Johnson 1984).

Toxic Parts:

immature fruit

leaves

References:

Notes on Toxic Plant Chemicals:

Toxic glycoalkaloids, including solanine, solasodine, and chaconine are found in black nightshade, especially in the green immature berries. Nitrates can also accumulate in the plant material (Cooper and Johnson 1984).

Humans

General Symptoms of Poisoning:

Notes on Poisoning:

Humans have been poisoned and have died (rarely) after ingesting usually green immature berries. Ripe, black berries have little toxin in them, although abdominal pains and vomiting could occur. Symptoms usually occur only after a latent period of several hours and may persist for several days. Symptoms resemble those of bacterial gastroenteritis and include headache, speech impairment, and unconsciousness (Cooper and Johnson 1984, Lampe and McCann 1985).